"Boss, how'd I do? I'm a real pro when it comes to fishing for crocodiles."
Muto smugly pulled the half-dead Goblin out of the jagged-toothed crocodile's mouth, tossed it aside, then grabbed the crocodile by the tail and hoisted it up.
"Just this once." Levi shook his head in resignation, hands clasped behind his back. He found himself wondering if he should give it a try, too.
After all, he had been an avid fisherman in his past life, so his hands were starting to itch.
Muto wasn't just skilled at catching crocodiles; he was also an expert at butchering them.
The crocodile was quite plump. After being gutted, it yielded over a hundred pounds of clean meat, which was divided between two large iron pots to stew.
With just a bit of coarse salt and wild scallions added, a rich aroma wafted through the air.
The nearby Kobolds and Goblins couldn't stop drooling, the paste of crocodile innards, weeds, and coarse flour in their hands suddenly seeming completely unappetizing.
If it weren't for the fifty muscular Beastman Barbarians watching them like hawks, they would have already pounced on the food.
The worldly Levi took a sip from his soup bowl and praised it effusively. The fish soup was exceptionally delicious, and it seemed to wash away some of the fatigue from days of sleeping rough.
In the camp, a row of brawny men squatted on the ground, all holding soup bowls, filling the air with a series of loud SLURPS.
Together with the sound of desperate gulping from the side, it formed a pleasant symphony in the Wilderness.
"You... what's-your-name? Over here."
Levi suddenly beckoned to the group of Kobolds.
"My Lord, my name is Old Neil." After confirming that Levi was looking at him, Old Neil jogged over, clutching his wooden bowl with a sycophantic look on his face. "Anything I can do for you, My Lord?"
"This is a reward for you." Levi scooped a large, jade-white piece of fish meat from the iron pot and placed it in his bowl.
While Old Neil was still stunned, Levi clapped him on the shoulder and said in a meaningful tone, "Old Neil, is it? I have high hopes for you. Don't let me down."
Old Neil was completely overwhelmed by the gesture and nodded vigorously. "I will not betray your trust, My Lord!"
"Go on. Work hard, and there may yet be a place for you in my ranks."
When Old Neil returned to his spot, everything that had just happened felt surreal. Levi's words echoed in his mind, sending his heart on a rollercoaster.
The aroma wafting from his wooden bowl finally pulled him back to reality. The fist-sized piece of fish meat was making his mouth water.
He glanced up at the black paste in the broken bowls of the other Kobolds and Goblins, and saw the envy in their eyes.
A sense of superiority washed over him.
'Looks like pledging allegiance to this human lord wasn't a bad decision after all.'
But soon, the bloodshot eyes and eager stances of the Goblins and other Kobolds filled him with dread.
'These lowly creatures might not dare snatch food from the Beastman Barbarians, but they'd definitely dare to steal from me!'
'With these old bones, I'd never win against a pack of young brutes.'
An idea flashed in his mind. He quickly shouted to his clan, "Dog One! Dog Two!"
The two most powerfully built Kobolds pushed their way out of the crowd.
"Clan Leader."
They spoke the word, but their eyes never left the piece of fish, and drool streamed from their lips.
"I need you two to be my guards. You'll get half the meat for it," Old Neil said quickly and concisely.
These two Kobolds were his strongest offspring, but not the brightest.
Hearing this, the two Kobolds immediately moved to shield Old Neil, glaring at their fellow Kobolds and the Goblins.
They didn't know what "guards" were, but they understood that a portion of the meat was now theirs. That meant if these damned Goblins tried to snatch it, they'd be stealing from them!
Unable to restrain themselves any longer, the Goblins pounced, and the two sides immediately fell into a brawl.
Never mind the Goblins' numbers. The green-skinned runts were small, averaging about one-point-three in height, while the two burly Kobolds stood a full one-point-six.
For a time, the two of them actually managed to hold the Goblins back.
As for the other Kobolds, while they too were staring intently at the meat, they hadn't yet made a move.
This was because Old Neil was not only their Clan Leader in name; biologically speaking, in human family terms, at least half of them were his own offspring.
Fearing his two guards wouldn't be enough to fend off the Goblins, Old Neil turned and shouted sternly at his own kin.
"This is a gift from our noble lord! If we serve him well, you can earn rewards too! The first step is to help me teach these damned Goblins a lesson! Show them that *we* are the lord's most loyal servants!"
The Kobolds looked at each other, hesitating for a moment, but then their expressions turned fierce and they joined the free-for-all. The forty Kobolds quickly overwhelmed the twenty or so Goblins, beating them until they were rolling on the ground.
Watching from a distance, Levi nodded in satisfaction. 'This Old Neil is a bit smarter than I thought. He's worth cultivating.'
"Go keep an eye on them. Don't let any of them die."
The Beastman Barbarians, who had been enjoying the show with their bowls in hand, heard their leader's command. They hastily shoveled down the last of their food, wiped their mouths, and went over.
As the few Beastmen approached, their intimidating presence caused the Kobolds to immediately stop fighting, standing frozen and unsure of what to do.
Following their leader's orders, the Beastmen poured the dregs of the soup and leftover bones from the iron pot into a wooden bucket and brought it to Old Neil.
"The chief says you're to distribute this."
The Beastman Barbarian grunted, then turned and left without a backward glance.
'If it wasn't for Levi's orders,' he thought, 'I wouldn't waste a single breath on these Wilderness rats. Jackal Wolves have no place consorting with lions!'
Old Neil looked up and saw Levi, who was sitting on a distant rock, give him a faint smile.
He was instantly overwhelmed, feeling as if everything he had just done had been validated. He couldn't help but straighten his posture.
At the same time, borrowing the tiger's might, he announced to the other Kobolds, "See that? This is the food our lord has bestowed upon us! As long as we serve him faithfully, we'll never have to go hungry again!"
After speaking, knowing his pack of pups was about to lose control, he picked up a ladle and began organizing them to come forward one by one for a scoop of fish soup.
Into the bowls of Dog One and Dog Two, he placed the only two small pieces of meat.
With their bellies full, the Kobolds lay on the grass with expressions of pure bliss, rubbing their round stomachs. They had never eaten anything so delicious in their lives.
The salt, the visible beads of fat—it all filled some deep, empty part of them.
The Goblins, on the other hand, had not only eaten a paste full of debris but had also taken a beating. They were now huddled together for warmth, each one of them looking half-dead.
It perfectly illustrated that the joys and sorrows of beasts are not universal.
The next day, the caravan set off once more.
As the sun began to set, the group finally found a trace of civilization in this vast land.
It was a small wooden cabin perched atop a hill. The afterglow of the setting sun was positioned just perfectly, outlining the lush, grassy hill and the small cabin in a brilliant, dazzling golden trim.